Forever My Brother
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: AU. Forever series. Henry learns a valuable lesson in what it means to be a big brother. Rated K for language.


**A/N: New Forever oneshot! Hope you like it! The end was a little rushed, but here it is!**

 **Disclaimer: See other stories!**

* * *

"But I don't want her to come!"

Sighing at the argument that had been going all day, William LaMontagne dragged his hands down his tired face. He was supposed to be enjoying the prospect of a night out with his wife, but it was already proving to be a tedious plan. They had hoped to get a babysitter for their daughter, but had run out of luck.

Therefore, convincing their teenage son to look after her had become the latest rift between Jennifer and Henry.

"I don't care, Henry, she's eight years old and can't stay home by herself-"

"Well then, call Aunt Pen or Uncle Hotch because she's not coming with me!" Henry spat angrily.

"No, Henry, it's their night off too, I'm not bothering them. You either take your sister with you or stay home with her, otherwise you're grounded!" JJ exclaimed firmly.

"What?!" Henry gasped. "That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is that I have asked you to do something simple and you're acting like a selfish brat!"

Jumping up from the couch, Will made a beeline for the kitchen, slotting himself between his son and his wife, placing his hands on JJ's shoulders. The tension was radiating off her like heatwaves, and he knew it was time to diffuse the situation.

"Both of you need to calm down. Henry, do as your mother has asked you. We're not asking you to cut off your arm, we're asking you to take your sister with you to your friend's house so that she's not home alone," he said gently.

Henry scowled. "You always side with Mom"

Will turned, facing his son directly. "Maybe because I am your father and I agree with what your mother is asking of you. You need to stop acting so entitled, Henry, because it won't fly out in the real world"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled, starting to skulk out of the kitchen.

"Henry!" Will called. "Your sister is going with you. End of discussion"

Groaning, Henry left the room. As he stomped his way up the stairs, Will turned back to his wife, who gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she said softly. "He's such a handful"

Will chuckled. "Those hormones will be the death of us. God knows I never spoke to my parents like that when I was fifteen"

JJ shrugged. "He'll learn one day. He'll backchat the wrong person. We're doing everything we can to stop him being a brat"

Wrapping his arms around JJ, Will kissed her temple. "Ah, don't worry about him tonight cher. Tonight is about me and you"

"Mm," JJ chuckled, tipping her head back to see Will's face. "I love you"

Will grinned. "I love you too"

* * *

"Don't annoy my friends, ok?"

The instruction was gruff and moody, just like Henry had been since they'd left the house. Haven had been oblivious to his bad mood, happy to trail along the footpath beside him in her own little world. The sky was growing dark with thick storm clouds, thunder rumbling threateningly in the distance. It was the kind of weather Haven loved.

"Which friends are here?" she asked as she skipped along beside Henry.

"Just some friends," Henry mumbled, kicking a stone as they turned the corner. "Can you stop skipping?"

"I know they're your friends, but WHICH friends?" Haven asked nosily, completely ignoring Henry's grumpy request.

"Just Sam and Greg and some other guys, ok, stop asking questions, and PLEASE stop skipping!" Henry snapped.

Haven obliged, walking along next to him as she bit her lip. "So _rry_ ," she said sarcastically, smirking up at her big brother.

Henry rolled his eyes, reaching and pushing open the gate at the front of a little townhouse. He stalked up the path, Haven trailing behind him as he stopped on the porch and knocked on the front door.

It wasn't much longer before the door opened, and a boy who Haven recognised as Sam came out. She'd seen him at their house a few times before, but had never really spoken to him.

"Hey man, everyone but Chris is already here," Sam said with a grin.

"Awesome. I had to bring my sister, or my mom was gonna ground me," Henry said with a sigh, gesturing back to Haven over his shoulder as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Sam shrugged. "It's fine. She can play with the dog or hang with my mom"

At Sam's words, Haven inched closer to Henry, grabbing the back of his shirt. She didn't want to hang around a strange house with people she'd never met before. She wanted to stay with Henry.

Groaning, Henry swatted her hands away. "Stop it Haven"

Without a second glance at her, he followed Sam inside. Haven quickly followed, managing to slip through the door just before it closed.

She felt like Henry was trying to get rid of her.

* * *

The rain was pouring down outside as people screamed from the screen before them. Blood and gore had been decided as the night's theme, and the boys had happily settled in to scare themselves stupid. Haven, on the other hand, was cowering beside where Henry was sitting, her little arms wrapped around herself as her eyes grew wider each minute. She never liked scary things.

Right now, all she wanted was a hug from her mom. She was in a strange house with her mean big brother, and no-one was taking a second look at her.

"Henry," she whispered, reaching up and tapping his arm.

"Don't," Henry whispered back, pushing her away. Haven lost her balance, falling backwards onto her back.

"Henry, I don't like this," Haven whimpered. "I'm scared"

"Well go and find something else to do," Henry hissed.

Tears welled up in Haven's eyes. "Henry..."

Turning to look at Haven, Henry was scowling furiously. "Haven, I swear to god, leave me alone. Go and find something else to do because no-one wants you here anyway"

Haven's lower lip quivered as she stared at her brother, the hurt clear in her eyes. Her big brother, who she idolised...why was he being so mean to her? It wasn't her fault she was too young to be home alone.

When he failed to acknowledge her, she got up, quietly slipping out of the room, heading in the direction of the front door.

Maybe she could just walk home and wait for her parents on the step. At least then, she wouldn't have to stay with her mean big brother.

Opening the door, she stepped out onto the porch. The sky was black with the thunderstorm that had been raging for nearly an hour. Rain was coming down in buckets, but Haven merely hugged herself tightly and stepped out into it.

She knew a shortcut she could take through the park, which would have her home in ten minutes. Then she could wait at home and tell her parents how awful Henry had been.

Stoic and determined, she marched off into the storm.

* * *

The credits rolled on the movie, finally bringing it to an end as the boys started to laugh and joke with each other. Jibes and good natured teasing started slinging across the room as Sam got up to change the movie in the DVD player.

Looking to his right, Henry expected to still see Haven sitting on the floor. Except all he saw was her jacket, balled up in a heap against the wall, as well as the paper and crayons they had given her discarded carelessly across the floor.

"Did you see where Haven went?" he asked, looking up at his friends.

"What, after you told her to rack off? Nah. She went into the other room looking all sulky, but I don't know where she is now," Greg replied, waving Henry off as he turned back to Chris. The two boys fell into deep conversation, stopping every now and then to laugh at something or other.

Rising from his chair, Henry walked into the next room, hoping he would find Haven sulking in a corner somewhere. She usually took off to pout somewhere quiet whenever he got snappy with her, and he was sure he would find her somewhere throughout the house.

"Haven?" he called, running a hand through his hair. "Haven, where are you?"

He was about to head into the kitchen, knowing her knack for following her stomach, when a flicker of movement caught his eye.

Looking to his right, he saw that the front door was sitting ajar, moving gently back and forth with the wind from the storm. Rain had started to come in under the porch cover, pooling on the ground just inside the door.

A lump grew in his throat. Haven wouldn't have gone outside, would she? Not in this storm, surely.

His heart sank. After the way he had treated her, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd run off.

Without a second thought, he quickly slipped outside into the cold rainy night, looking around in the hopes of finding his little sister. He had to find her...or his mother was actually going to wring his neck.

"Haven?" he called out.

Nothing came to his ears but the pouring of the rain.

"Haven!" he yelled desperately, wishing she would pop up from a bush in an attempt to scare him.

When he got no reply, he swallowed thickly, heading out from under the porch and down the front path. He hadn't checked the whole house, but something told him that the door had been open because of Haven. And he knew that if one of the guys found her in the house, they would call.

Maybe she'd gone home. He hoped that was where she had gone, otherwise he had lost her. And his parents would kill him.

Starting to run down the street, it was hard for him not to worry.

Silently, he prayed to every god he knew of that Haven was waiting on the front step.

* * *

Running through the park, Haven pushed her sopping wet hair out of her eyes, squinting to see through the driving rain as she tried to spot the gap in the tree line that led to the side street near her home.

The hill towards the playground took a steep incline, and as she ran down it, Haven found her legs were suddenly struggling to keep up with her descent.

Losing her footing, she stumbled, both knees colliding with a row of scraggly rocks as she tumbled down the hill and landed face down in a muddy puddle.

With her knees stinging dreadfully, Haven choked out a sob, pulling herself up to a sitting position. Slowly, she lifted her knee up to take a closer look at it, her hands trembling as she placed them either side of the bloody mess that now adorned her kneecaps.

"Oww," she sobbed shakily. Blood was mixing with the rain pouring from the sky, making crimson tracks down her skinny legs as her tears began to fall. The cuts ached terribly, and she knew she wouldn't be able to walk home now.

"I hate you Henry!" she cried, shivering as rain trickled down her back. "I hate you!"

* * *

It was almost fifteen minutes later when Henry finally came sprinting up the front path to their house. A weight like a cold stone settled in his stomach when he looked over the gate and saw no-one sitting on the step.

He was soaked to the bone and shaking. On the verge of tears, he turned, his breaths coming rapidly and out of control. His lungs were on fire, and his panic wasn't helping.

"Ugh, Haven, where the hell ARE YOU?" he yelled at the sky, his voice wavering dangerously as he tried to decide what he was going to do.

He had to call his parents. He knew it was the first thing he had to do. And that meant admitting that he'd been stupid, irresponsible, and overall, just a terrible big brother.

They were going to be so disappointed. And if anything happened to Haven...they would never forgive him for it.

Pulling out his phone, he dialled his dad's number, placing the cell to his dripping wet ear as he walked shakily back down the street to the corner.

" _Hey buddy, what's going on?"_ his dad answered chirpily. _"Everything ok?"_

"No," Henry choked out before his tears got the best of him. "I lost Haven"

" _What? What do you mean you lost her?"_ Will answered sharply.

"I was really awful to her at Sam's house and she took off. I don't know where she is, Dad, I'm sorry," Henry sobbed.

" _You're telling me your eight year old sister is wandering the streets alone at night in a thunderstorm?"_

"I'm sorry Dad," Henry said tearfully.

" _You damn well better be, Henry LaMontagne! We're coming home-"_

"Dad-"

" _Call the police right now! And you better tell them that you're the reason she's gone!"_

Henry didn't even get another word in before his father had hung up. Choking back a sob, he shoved his phone back in his pocket, racking his brain for more places he could look for his sister.

The corner shop wasn't open at this time of night. Although the cafe next door probably was, and he knew the people there knew who Haven was.

Jogging to the end of the side street as lightning flashed menacingly overhead, Henry was about to turn to the right to head in the direction of the corner store when he spotted a familiar sign at the end of the cul-de-sac.

 **HARRISON-GREGORY PARK**

Haven's favourite nearby park. He knew she knew about the shortcut that came out in the street behind their house.

What if someone had grabbed...

No. He wasn't going to think about that. He had to find his sister.

Jogging down to the cul-de-sac, his feet left the concrete and squelched through the muddy grass at the edge of the park.

"Haven!" he yelled as he ducked between the tall trees that loomed overhead like sinister figures of the stormy night.

"HAVEN!" he cried out even louder than before, desperation seeping into his tone.

She should be able to hear him. That, he was sure of.

Letting out a distressed sob, Henry pulled his phone from his pocket, swiping the screen open as he took a few more steps forward.

It was his fault. His parents had asked him to do one simple thing, and he had blown it by being an asshole.

Dialling 911, he was about to press the dial button when he heard it.

Quiet little sobs coming from the bottom from the hill.

Hurrying forward, he peered through the darkness, finally seeing a sight that filled him with relief from head to toe.

Haven, sitting on the ground, very much alive.

"Haven," he breathed, unable to make his voice go any louder as he shoved his phone back in his pocket and jogged down the hill towards his sister.

"Haven," he said a little louder as he approached her. "Haven, I'm sorry"

Haven looked up, her face covered in rain, mud, and tears. Her little eyes were swollen from crying, and her hands and knees covered in blood.

"Why were you so mean?" she sobbed.

Falling to his knees beside her, Henry pried her hands away from her scrapes so he could take a look.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Haven, I was just...I was mad and I was selfish and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, ok? I did want you there, I didn't mean what I said," he said apologetically.

"Yes you did," Haven cried, pushing him away. "You did mean it, you were nasty and I don't like you anymore"

"Maybe I did mean it, Haven, but I promise that from now on, I won't ever treat you like that again. You're my little sister and you're the only sister I'm ever going to have. I do want you around, Haven, I promise," Henry said tearfully. "Can I take you home and fix your knees?"

Haven let out a choked sob, nodding sadly as she reached up for Henry. With ease, Henry lifted her into his arms, cuddling her close to his chest as he carried her back to the tree line and towards their home.

* * *

After getting Haven into the shower to get her free of mud and dirt, Henry had carefully patched up her knees, wiping them down with antiseptic before covering them in large band-aid patches to keep them clean.

They had been on the couch watching TV, Haven bundled in a blanket to fight off the shivers from the rain, and Henry in his warm, dry pyjamas, when the front door flew open without warning.

"Henry? Haven!"

"Mom, it's ok!" Henry called back hurriedly; in the relief of finding Haven safe and sound, he had forgotten to call his parents back.

Looking like she was in a complete flap, JJ ran into the room, her face flooded with relief when she saw Haven cuddled up against her brother on the couch.

"Oh my god, baby are you ok?" she asked anxiously, kneeling down in front of Haven and checking her over. "Your dad and I were worried sick about you"

"I'm ok Mommy," Haven said softly. "I hurt my knees, but Henry fixed me"

Glaring at his son, Will gestured to the kitchen. "In there. Now"

Swallowing thickly, Henry rose from the couch, walking slowly into the kitchen as his mother and father followed.

This was it. This was how he was going to die.

"What the hell were you doing?" Will hissed as soon as they were out of earshot of Haven. "You were supposed to be looking after her!"

"I was a real asshole to her, and she got upset and ran off," Henry admitted, his eyes never leaving the kitchen floor.

"Why can you not just do what you're asked for once without the theatrics and taking it out on your sister?" Will asked angrily. "You could've been responsible for something really awful"

"I know, Dad, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Henry. What if something terrible had happened to her? What if she'd been kidnapped?" JJ asked seriously.

"She was fine, Mom-"

"Yes, she was fine, Henry, but she very well might not have been. You are incredibly lucky that this situation turned out ok, especially after your actions caused it. I really hope you apologised to your sister for treating her the way you did," JJ stated firmly.

Henry nodded. "I did. Many times"

"Good. You're also grounded for a week. No cellphone, no TV, no video games, and no visiting your friends. Maybe you'll learn to start treating everyone around you with a little more respect-"

JJ trailed off as Haven walked into the room, her blanket pulled around her shoulders like a cape. They watched as Haven walked over to Henry, looping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly.

"I know Henry was really mean to me, but he gave me a hug and fixed my knees. He said he was sorry," she said innocently as she looked up at her parents with wide eyes.

"I know, sweetie, but Henry needs to learn to treat people better. You could've been in serious danger tonight, and Henry would have been partly responsible for that," JJ explained.

"Well I forgived him," Haven said seriously.

"Forgave him," Will corrected, a hint of a smile playing around his mouth.

Kneeling down, Henry pulled Haven into a tight hug, smiling when she nestled her head into the crook of his neck.

"I really am sorry, Haven"

Haven giggled, pulling back.

"I know. It's ok. Because you're my forever brother"


End file.
